New Top 20

by Jamey Newberg on Aug 27, 2009 11:34 AM CDT Comment 14 comments

The folks at MLB.com posted the latest installment of my weekly ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Rangers’ farm system this morning on the official Rangers website, www.texasrangers.com. There’s even some groovy Elvis Andrus video attached to it. Likey, Fin?

Here’s a direct link to the column:

http://dwarfurl.com/afa79

Please note that the column is set up to allow fan comments at the bottom of the page.

-- Jamey

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Chad Tracy?

I’m not impressed with him, or at least not enough to put him in the top 20 of such a deep system. From your hitters to watch list I’d put Garcia, Paisano, Sardine-ass, Velazquez and even Gentry ahead of him.

I think I’d put ALL of the pitchers to watch ahead of him.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Aug 27, 2009 1:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well the real question is...

WWFD?

2009 Texas Rangers: Why The Hell Not Us?--ghtd36 on May 13, 2009

by boomer1 on Aug 27, 2009 1:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Newberg has a thing for good face-y white boys who "Soldier through the suck" and post good surface numbers in AA at an old-ish age and have little to no ceiling and negative defensive value.

Don’t hate on a man for preaching what gets him all nice and rock hard in his prospect pants.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

Beware 2011: The Fortypocalypse is Nigh...

by thedirkatron on Aug 27, 2009 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs

Dirk's responses to The Newberg's prospect rankings are the highlight of my LSB-viewing week

"You dont know much do you, Big Steve?"
--Finnerty.Fan on Aug 13, 2009 5:13 PM PDT

by WestTxAg06 on Aug 27, 2009 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rangers Prospects

Aside from Smoak and Perez, this system looks awfully barren to me, and i know that might seem nit picky considering the two of them are elite prospects, but I really hope we manage to sign Scheppers now.

baseBALLIN!

by kevzta on Aug 27, 2009 4:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Barren?

Wow thats pretty harsh man

Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.

by bigsteve on Aug 27, 2009 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yea you're probably right

maybe im just overreacting after getting to see a bunch of our prospects getting promoted and succeeding in the majors. To me, there isn’t too much to get excited about beyond the two of them. If i had to pick someone that i thought was going to do well though, that isn’t getting too much attention, it’s tommy mendonca

baseBALLIN!

by kevzta on Aug 27, 2009 5:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Except

for striking out in 30% of his plate appearances, but he is hitting the ball pretty hard it seems.

No, the system is far from barren. There is a huge number of intriguing high ceiling arms in the lower levels. Fewer position players of note, but who cares? That can be remedied through trades and the team has a lot of big league position player talent just entering their primes.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Aug 27, 2009 5:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

In the past, have the Rangers agressively promoted college players

like they have DiFazio and Doyle? They were just drafted this year and Doyle is in A+ already.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Aug 27, 2009 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sometimes

Tommy Hunter moved up pretty fast.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Aug 27, 2009 6:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rangers' minor league system

I have the same sinking feeling about the Rangers’ minor league system every time that I see one of Jamey’s Top 20 lists. Part of the problem is Jamey’s self-imposed prospect exclusion rules. If you use BA’s exclusion criteria (130 ML AB’s or 50 ML IP), then the Rangers’ system looks to be poised for another Top 5 ranking after this season. Assuming Scheppers signs by the end of the year and Borbon doesn’t graduate, the Rangers will have at least 2 prospects in BA’s Top 20 (Feliz and Smoak), another in the Top 50 (Perez), and two more in the Top 100 (Borbon and Scheppers). That is akin to what BA’s #4 ranked system, the Rays, had last year.

Looked at in another way, the Rangers have at least five prospects who are likely to impact each of the next three Rangers’ teams:

2010
Feliz
Smoak
Borbon
MaxRam
Strop
Madrigal

2011
Perez
Scheppers
Moreland
Kiker
Main
Poveda
Beavan
Gomez
Smith

2012
Ross
Font
Beltre
Boscan
Wieland
Velasquez

by spurdynasty on Aug 27, 2009 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's probably a bit early

to say those kids in the 2012 class are “likely” to impact that Ranger team, no?

Beltre especially…

"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan

by Dirk Diggler on Aug 28, 2009 7:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A little loose with

your definition of “impact” are ya?

That is a nice list of prospects. It also doesn’t include any of the college kids drafted this year. There are a few of them worth keeping an eye on.

Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Mitch Moreland -Tom Grieve Rangers Minor League Player of the Year
Martin Perez - Nolan Ryan Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year

by RangerMad on Aug 28, 2009 8:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Font will be in the top 100

And I would think we have a few guys who might make the tail end of the list also.

Kiker: led the Texas league in strikeouts and is still pretty young for his level. Also a nice ERA

Beavan: if his last couple starts are like his last one he may make it. Very young for his level and has survived the jump. The lack of Ks may be the thing that keeps him off

Beltre: tools tools tools

Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.

by bigsteve on Aug 28, 2009 9:37 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs